The Department of Art has a long-standing reputation for the quality and diversity of its fine arts program. Courses in art education, art history,\ and art studio promote creativity, visual literacy and critical thinking. Graduate and undergraduate art students have the opportunity to exhibit their work at the Else and Witt Galleries. Exhibitions of work by nationally and internationally significant artists are shown in the University Library Gallery. Lectures and symposia sponsored by the Art Department feature presentations by renowned art educators, art historians, and artists. Visiting artists also are brought to campus for an extended period during the annual Festival of the Arts.

The faculty of the Department of Communication Studies and Journalism form a community of professionals, educated and experienced in a diverse range of specialty areas, and united by a common body of information related to the creation, application and understanding of messages. The Department exists to provide quality instruction that assists students in becoming intellectually aware citizens who are ethical, competent communicators. Further, the department seeks to maintain and develop the body of scholarly knowledge that unites the field.

The Department of Design prepares its students for a wide range of career opportunities in the fields of graphic design, interior design and photography. Graduates learn to work creatively and to explore new possibilities in their respective media while at the same time providing the highest quality of professional services to their clients. By offering degree programs in three interrelated fields, the Department is well positioned to train its students in the wide range of art and design practices that play a part in creating our visual environment.

The Department of English is a community of teachers, scholars, writers, and support staff whose primary mission is to promote learning in composition, creative writing, English education, linguistics, literature, and the teaching of English as a second language. The department seeks to help students acquire knowledge, develop skills, and realize their own intellectual and creative goals. At the undergraduate and graduate levels, the Department presents a broad and balanced curriculum designed to develop the reading and writing skills, the interpretative abilities, and the cultural awareness of its students by maintaining and enhancing a tradition of strong teaching, solid scholarship, and vigorous support of creative literary activity. Graduates of the Department are well equipped to enter advanced degree programs and to pursue careers in teaching, law, publishing, the arts, and other areas in which the ability to read and write the English language effectively is paramount.

The Film Program offers interdisciplinary course work in the areas of film production, history, theory, criticism and writing. The film major aims at developing a deeper understanding of the art and practice of film, its complex components, and the artists whose vision have inspired generations of filmmakers. All students are required to take a common core that provides a foundation for film criticism and production. After completing the core, students select either the film studies or film production track.

History is a discipline offering both breadth and focus. At Sacramento State, the history major includes four lower division survey courses and three upper division seminars. In addition, students choose seven upper division electives from a wide variety available. The flexibility of the major allows students to focus on topical areas such as: women's history, the history of particular geographic areas, cultural history, ethnic group history, military history, and history from the ancient world to history of the U.S. in the 20th Century. Teaching credential candidates must complete the Social Science Subject Matter Program with a major in either history or social science.

The Department of Humanities and Religious Studies offers an integrated approach to the study of world cultures. In courses on Western European, Asian, and American cultures, students explore ideas, ideals and values as they are expressed in art, music, drama, history, literature, philosophy and religion. The Humanities concentration provides a strong interdisciplinary foundation while also allowing students the opportunity to focus their studies. For example, students can concentrate on a specific era, such as the Ancient World, the Middle Ages and Renaissance, or the Modern World. Students may also concentrate on a single cultural field such as American Studies or Asian Cultures. The Religious Studies concentration is an in-depth comprehensive study of religious belief and practice on a global scale that surveys diverse interpretations of religious experience within and across cultural boundaries and examines religious institutions and sacred texts within an historical framework

The School of Music has a long and impressive history of presenting quality performances to the city and region. By offering over twenty-five years of outstanding performances at the Festival of New American Music and by presenting concerts and recitals by a distinguished faculty and excellent performing groups, the department has assumed a leadership role in the musical life of California. In recognition of its important place in the nation, the department is a fully accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Music.

The subject of philosophy encompasses such fundamental issues as the scope and limits of human knowledge, the ultimate constituents of reality, the sources of value and obligation, and the nature of logic and correct reasoning. Philosophy builds on the findings of many other academic disciplines and, in its methods, stresses clear, rigorous, and systematic thought. The application of philosophical ideas to the practical problems of life has always been a part of the subject, but it is only recently that universities have begun offering courses specifically oriented in this direction.

The Department of Theatre and Dance provides a broad and thorough foundation in the history, theory, literature and practice of theatre and dance to students who wish to pursue post-graduate studies or join the profession. The department offers an imaginative and ambitious program of historical and contextual studies supported by studio and production work. Our mission challenges our students to be independent thinkers. Our department provides a collaborative, artistic environment that reflects a richly complex and diverse global perspective complimented by national and international faculty and staff experience.

Sacramento State offers majors in Spanish and French as well as minors in those languages and in Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese and Russian. We also offer first-year courses in Arabic, Greek and Punjabi.